Pakistan arrests 85 Indian fishermen, seizes 14 boats

The fishermen were arrested on Saturday evening and brought to a police station in Karachi

Pakistan's maritime security authorities arrested 85 Indian fishermen for allegedly trespassing Pakistan's territorial waters and seized 14 boats, a police official said on Sunday.

The fishermen were arrested on Saturday evening and were brought to a police station in Karachi.



India and Pakistan share an extensive oceanic border with each other which is poorly defined, resulting in fishermen on both sides inadvertently crossing over to the other side while netting their catch. Fishermen from both sides often spend years in each other's jails before being set free and sent home, because the neighbours have a disagreement over their maritime border in the Arabian Sea.



Relations between the two countries have been more tense since a crackdown by Indian security forces on dissent in an Indian-held Kashmir began in July 2016.

The arrests comes after India released 39 Pakistani prisoners, including 18 fishermen, on March 1. Pakistan released 218 Indian fishermen on January 5 and a group of 220 fishermen on December 25, 2016 as a goodwill gesture.